CV 2013 - day 14

The swell that hit the island last night will continue throughout the day and with a high tide around noon we stay at the Angulo club in the morning and wait for the water to come down before trying Alibaba later in the day. Big sets are rolling all the way into Santa Maria bay and the big shore break calls for patience when trying to get out from shore. Karin, Eje and Peter all manage to get out without breaking anything but some of the less experienced sailors are not that lucky. A couple of broken masts and at least one ripped sail and the guys from Angulo and Fanatic are up to their ears helping save as much of their clients rental gear as they can - still with a big smile on their faces though, as some people totally misjudge the sets and immediately get punished for it.

Karin charging...

Just can't get enough

With 3m + swell from NE and 15-20 knots from NE, this is definately a day for the west coast and in the afternoon, Peter and I go to search for the real deal. First stop Ponta Preta but like so many times before the wind is too light and too offshore for us daring to give it a go. Really big sets though as we head north past Canoa and finally reach the mother of all wave spots - Alibaba - and it really seems to be working this time!! Mast high set waves on the point and even bigger at Curral Joul and definately more wind than Ponta Preta. Very very offshore though and just a couple of kiters on the water - no windsurfers around.

Going out with 4.7 it is an amazing feeling sailing downwind (!) towards the point with its roaring barrels and perfect lines pealing the whole way into the bay. The offshore wind direction is making it extremely difficult to catch this very fast wave and you really need to be dropping down the steepest section to get on the train as you go more or less parallell with the wave. After lulling around for quite some time I finally manage to catch a mid sized one, and racing down the face of that fast beautiful wave I realise this as close to perfection I might ever get in my windsurfing career.

Down the line

 

Bullocks

 

Later, driving back to Santa Maria, with the sun sinking into the ocean behind us, it's with mixed feelings of both joy and disappointment. Joy over finally getting to sail one of the most incredable wave spots on the planet and a little disappointment over not being able, or not having the guts, to catch some of the bigger waves. If I´d only gone 50 m further up wind on some of those incredable beasts that now slipped under my board I might be in heaven right now. (or in the hospital for that matter)

Well, what the heck. It's always a bit sketchy sailing a new spot for the first time - and there was probably a reason why no other sailors were out. Next time the wind will hopefully be a little less offshore and then...

Mount Leao from Alibaba